New Team Fortress 2 Content Scheduled for Mid-April; Includes Goldrush, New Weapons, Meet The Scout

The next batch of free content for the PC edition of Team Fortress 2--including the new Goldrush map, unlockable weapons, and Meet the Scout video--is slated to arrive the week of April 20, developer Valve has informed Shacknews.

Outside of that general timeframe, a specific release date for the new content was not provided.

Goldrush will mark the first map in a new game mode called "Payload," which will task the Blue team with herding a mine cart full of explosives toward the Red base. The more players near the cart, the faster it will move, the Red team winning if it prevents Blue from reaching its goal. The map will also be the first to utilize the cinematic physics technology from Half-Life 2: Episode Two.

Though unlockable weapons will eventually spread to all classes, the Medic class will be the first to receive new armament. According to a recent IGN interview, a total of three new items will be available, unlocked by earning a set number of the new class-specific achievements.

While Valve had discussed an Overhealer gun that would double a target's health, the studio is currently testing a Medic gun that, once charged, will guarantee targets ten seconds of continuous critical hits.

Valve previously explained that the unlockable items would be equipped via a new loadout menu, suggesting that gamers will not be able to easily swap between the new tools in the midst of battle.